Semen Indonesia supplied 52 981 t of cement to the Bali Mandara project, which was inaugurated in Nusa Dua on 23 September. The 10 km toll road connects Nusa Due with Benoa and Ngurah Rai and utilised both OPC and PPC from Semen Indonesia. The company’s next contract – the Sunda Strait Bridge – could utilise as much as 3 million t of cement, a massive boost for the company which aims to maintain its market position despite the number of new entrants to the market.

Speaking to the press at an event in Porwanas last week, Semen Indonesia’s President Director Dwi Soetjipto said that the company strives to maintain its position as market leader in the cement business. “Brand new is not automatically accepted by the market,” he said, referring to the new players entering Indonesia’s promising cement industry. “As of August 2013, our market share reached 45 percent at the national level,” Dwi said.

Market share at home and abroad

Semen Indonesia has three brand products in Indonesia, namely: Semen Gresik, Semen Padang and Semen Tonasa, with each having strong market shares in particular markets. In addition, the company is building two new plants in Central Java and West Sumatra and is targeting increased market share in Myanmar, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Dwi told reporters that the company is targeting 35 million t total production capacity in 2015 and 38 million t in 2016.

Siam Cement Group plans a new greenfield plant in Indonesia to add to its expanding portfolio across the ASEAN region, while another Thai company takes advantage of low new-build prices to order a new cement carrier.